Centre for Policy on Ageing



Is depression a risk factor for dementia or cognitive decline? — a review
Author(s)	A F Jorm
Journal title	Gerontology, vol 46, no 4, 2000
Pages	pp 219-227
Keywords	Depression ; Dementia ; Cognitive impairment ; Literature reviews.
Annotation	It is generally accepted that depression can be associated with significant cognitive deficits and that depression can be comorbid with dementia. This review of epidemiological evidence from case-control and prospective studies seeks to go further, and ask whether depression earlier in life can be a risk factor for subsequent dementia or for cognitive decline. The literature was also reviewed in relation to six hypotheses that might explain an association: depression treatments are a risk factor for dementia; dementia and depression share common risk factors; depression is a prodrome of dementia; depression is an early reaction to cognitive decline; depression affects the threshold for manifesting dementia; and depression is a causal factor in dementia. A meta-analysis found that depression was associated with an increased risk of subsequent dementia in both case-control studies and prospective studies. There is sufficient evidence to take seriously the possibility that depression is a risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline. (KJ/RH).
Accession Number	CPA-001027210 A
Classmark	ENR: EA: E4: 64A
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.